If you're traveling to Thrace or
the north Aegean coast
(ie, west of Istanbul), go straight
to the Büyük
Otogar for your bus. But
if you're traveling to Anatolia (ie,
most of Turkey, east and south of Istanbul),
then consider boarding your bus at Harem.

It may take you 35 to 50 minutes to
reach the Büyük
Otogar from Sultanahmet or Taksim
Square. If a bus departs the Büyük
Otogar at 12 noon, it
will be almost 1 pm by the time it
circumnavigates the city, crosses the Bosphorus and
arrives at the Harem Otogar to
pick up more passengers. So after nearly
two hours of travel, you're still in
Istanbul!

But if you just go down the hill to Sirkeci (just
east of Eminönü;
map) and climb aboard the car
ferry that
cruises across the Bosphorus to Harem,
it will take you less than an hour,
be more pleasant, and you'll cut an
hour off your Anatolian bus
trip.

Not all buses starting from the Büyük
Otogar stop at Harem,
and some arrive at Harem with
no empty seats. But you can reserve
a seat in advance by telephone,
and your seat should be available
for you at Harem.

If your destination is a popular one,
like Ankara or Antalya,
just go to Harem,
stroll through the bus station, and
in less than an hour you should be
on your way, no reservation needed
(except on holidays).
This usually works with most destinations,
although you may have to wait a bit
longer for your departure if you're
going to a less popular place.

If you travel without a reservation
(as many people do), it's best to get
to the bus station in the morning (after breakfast is
fine) to give yourself the best chance
of getting a seat quickly.